Training-Intensity Distribution During an Ironman Season: Relationship With Competition Performance

Abstract

While athletes perform with HR mainly in zone 2, better performances are associated with more training time spent in zone 1. A high amount of cycling training in zone 2 may contribute to poorer overall performance.

From Heart-Rate Data to Training Quantification: A Comparison of 3 Methods of Training-Intensity Analysis

“…This study provides directly comparable data demonstrating differences in quantification of TID using three analysis methods frequently reported in the literature [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]19 .…”

“…No study since has systematically quantified TID derived from three different methods in highly trained athletes. The TID of endurance athletes has received increased attention in both descriptive [1][2][3][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]18,20 and experimental studies [21][22][23] as well as recent reviews 24,25 . Because these three methods are used interchangeably there can be confusion regarding interpretation of training data, although the problem has been discussed 12 .…”

“…The SG method has also been found to agree well with intensity categorization based on session RPE 12 . A third approach is a hybrid combination of SG and TIZ, called modified SG approach (SG/TIZ) in the literature [6][7][8]13,19 . The goal of the session is used to aid in allocating training time to intensity zones, based on a combination of actual HR registration and workloads applied.…”

“…However, quantifying training dose remains an area of some confusion. Focusing on endurance athletes, training dose can be measured in terms of external work executed (distance, power, velocity) [1][2] , or internal physiological responses elicited by that work (heart rate, blood lactate, VO 2 ) [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] . Training dose can also be measured by how the stimulus was perceived (session RPE) 12,[14][15][16][17][18] .…”

Training-Intensity Distribution in Road Cyclists: Objective Versus Subjective Measures

“…11,12 This seems to be reflected in the type of training engaged in by both elite and recreational endurance athletes whom seem to train at an intensity distribution that consists of ~80% of the training sessions performed at zone 1 and the remaining ~20% at zone 2 and 3. 7,8,13 Lucia et al 14 quantified time spent in three heart rate (HR) zones during different training phases in professional cyclists showing a shift towards a higher proportion of moderate to high-intensity training when getting closer to the competitions. Along with monitoring HR, the availability of mobile power meters for cyclists has resulted in the widespread monitoring of power output (PO) in competitive cycling.…”